Thinking of going next Sunday with my 2 boys. Never been before and know tickets are tight. Just wondering if anyone has been before and has any tips of where's best to go and where to park or not etc. Cheers.
Yep - going next week with my Dad. Have been going every year since '86 and it really is an amazing experience. TV just doesnt go close to doing justice to how mentally fast and powerful these cars (more like jet planes on wheels) are. And the noise is incredible. I remember on the Friday last year I took my mate who had never been - An HRT went by on an installation lap and he was like "Oh my god, thats unbelievable". I remember saying, just wait till thats Hamilton on a qualy lap......
Think Grandstand seats will be near enough sold out, and they can be hugely expensive. If you can grab some general admission tickets, there will still be loads of good places to go. First come first served to grab a space on raceday, so you would need to be geting there at 6am at the latest. Then you can try and grab a place around the final corner, but there is a big bank on the run down to Club which is good viewing too. In terms of seeing the cars at their best, try Becketts. Left/ Right sweep at 190mph. The change of direction and grip is so unbelievable its ridiculous really.
At this stage, Park and ride may be the best shot, but I know we get a car park pass included with our grandstand seats nowadays. Traffic is actually ok - the one way system on the A40 works well now, and gone are the horror days in the 80s of 175,000 cheering on Mansell, then sitting stuck in the car park for 8 hours afterwards.
Your boys will LOVE it, and it is a great father/son bonding day I find.
Very worrying news coming through that Marussia test driver Maria De Villota has had a major crash whilst testing at Duxford airfield. BBC reporting the throttle stuck open and she drove into the back of the team truck. Air ambulance called and various reports of 'grave' injuries. Looking at the height of a truck and the drivers seating position, you would say head injuries are a real worry.
I spent 20 years of my life in motorsport, and now my little boy wants to start Karting like me. I had so much fun, but every time someone gets hurt it makes me think. Lost my old team mate in an Indycar accident in Las Vegas and seeing his wife and kids without a dad makes you wonder if it is worth it.
of 175,000 cheering on Mansell, then sitting stuck in the car park for 8 hours afterwards.
Your boys will LOVE it, and it is a great father/son bonding day I find.
122k is the biggest attendance. That said they are bloody noisy, its worth seeing but no where as good as the bikes IMHO.
Thing is, the bikes look to all intense and purposes like a superbike you can see at full chat down the M25 (not that they are not damn impressive). Even comparing the most mental road car you can (Mclaren, Zagato etc) to an F1 car cannot be done. An F1 car is so far removed from anything on the road (I mean 0-120 and back to 0 in 5 odd seconds) that it is this that does it for me.
of 175,000 cheering on Mansell, then sitting stuck in the car park for 8 hours afterwards.
Your boys will LOVE it, and it is a great father/son bonding day I find.
122k is the biggest attendance. That said they are bloody noisy, its worth seeing but no where as good as the bikes IMHO.
Thing is, the bikes look to all intense and purposes like a superbike you can see at full chat down the M25 (not that they are not damn impressive). Even comparing the most mental road car you can (Mclaren, Zagato etc) to an F1 car cannot be done. An F1 car is so far removed from anything on the road (I mean 0-120 and back to 0 in 5 odd seconds) that it is this that does it for me.
Take your point about F1 cars looking different, but there is hardly any racing in F1, with most bike racing it is more dangerous they overtake each other and the racing is generally close. I'm not a spoiler, because I maintain that everyone should see a F1 race at least once in their life but bike racing is where the real excitement is at. Re 0-60 and back, F1 is just under 7 second, Moto Gp just under 8 secs, what astounded me about F1 cars is the braking and cornering, I do bike track days at Brands, I was lucky enough to see Mansell and Hill practice there on the Indy circuit in 92/93? Its not a power circuit, its about keeping it smooth, the bike lap record was about 46 secs per lap, they were going round in just over 35 seconds. I watched them braking for Paddock Hill bend, which is one of the best corners on any race track, and most of the time I didnt think they were gonna make it! Great stuff!
I went last year, it was fantastic. I'd reccomend getting a grandstand seat if you can as you have to be there early to get a good standing position. I'd also go the (free) aftershow party and let the traffic die down a bit before setting back if I were you.
Looks like they all need some tyre testing...Hamilton first and now Massa with right rear tyres simply imploding & disintegrating. Hamilton limped round & back out in last.
Another couple of laps and Webber probably would have taken Rosberg and Hamilton could have got podium. Amazing scenes throughout and a battle to the end.
Just got back from Silverstone. Gutted for Lewis - that would have been an easy win for him but for Pirelli making tyres from sellotape and bin bags. His drive was utterly immense. I know some dont like him due to his demeanor or whatever. But say what you want, nobody can deny he can drive the hell out of an F1 car. If the tyres were not a limiting factor, he would destroy everyone this year. Other highlight was the stick Vettel got when he broke down. Classic scenes!
Comments
Think Grandstand seats will be near enough sold out, and they can be hugely expensive. If you can grab some general admission tickets, there will still be loads of good places to go. First come first served to grab a space on raceday, so you would need to be geting there at 6am at the latest. Then you can try and grab a place around the final corner, but there is a big bank on the run down to Club which is good viewing too. In terms of seeing the cars at their best, try Becketts. Left/ Right sweep at 190mph. The change of direction and grip is so unbelievable its ridiculous really.
At this stage, Park and ride may be the best shot, but I know we get a car park pass included with our grandstand seats nowadays. Traffic is actually ok - the one way system on the A40 works well now, and gone are the horror days in the 80s of 175,000 cheering on Mansell, then sitting stuck in the car park for 8 hours afterwards.
Your boys will LOVE it, and it is a great father/son bonding day I find.
I spent 20 years of my life in motorsport, and now my little boy wants to start Karting like me. I had so much fun, but every time someone gets hurt it makes me think. Lost my old team mate in an Indycar accident in Las Vegas and seeing his wife and kids without a dad makes you wonder if it is worth it.